Beyond the Night by Joss Ware
Envy Chronicles, Book 1
Avon
Paranormal
ISBN: 978-0061734014
Reviewed by Amelia




One minute, Dr. Elliott Drake and a group of his friends are exploring caves in Sedona, Arizona. The next thing they know it’s fifty years later, and the world has suffered a catastrophic event, one that leaves a most of the population dead, and leaves behind a whole mess of problems, including the Strangers, a group of humans (or are they?) out to control what’s left of the world, and the gangas, zombie like creatures who want to devour humans.

The group of men is not quite sure what to do, and then one day they come across a band of teenagers from the town of Envy that they’ve heard about from the people they’ve run across since “the change.” They save the teens from a ganga attack, and the group travels to Envy.

After being captured, and escaping from, the Strangers, Jade doesn’t trust anyone. When she meets Elliott she’s immediately attracted. But who knows who this man really is? Is he what he claims, a doctor from the past? Or is he a Stranger, set to bring about chaos?

When they get back to Envy (the remains of Las Vegas) the couple has to face several things, not the least of which is an overheard plot about a mysterious shipment, and Elliott’s newfound ability to heal people, which has deadly consequences.

Can they overcome their differences, and find love with each other while facing a new world?

Beyond the Night is the first book in the Envy Chronicles, and it took me for a ride that I didn’t want to end. Ms. Ware has created a post-apoplectic world that draws the reader in with believable characters who tug at your heartstrings. I fell in love with Elliott, who wants to understand the new world he lives in, and is instantly attracted to Jade. The way he faces challenges and his protective nature toward her endeared him to me, and made me root for them to succeed. Jade is his perfect match. She is strong and has overcome adversity to make herself a woman of the future.

This book features a world torn apart, and in that world are characters that have lifted themselves up and are facing new challenges and building a better future for themselves and their children. It is a real page-turner that made me want to run to get the second volume to see what happens next.